Beyond Comics

The first thing you notice about the 2nd Edition Books & Comics Store--tucked off Thousand Oaks Boulevard--is that the books rest horizontally on the shelves so that you don’t have to strain your neck or eyes to read the titles.

“It’s just common sense,” said owner Andrew Hochman, a soft-spoken, bearded man. “We’re not a library, so we don’t have to shelve books to read a number.”

Hochman, who calls himself a product of the ‘60s, says he still wants to change the world and uses comics to trick kids into learning to read. He sells books on tape, too, so that if kids don’t read the books, at least they will listen to them.

But comics are the backbone of the business. Customers place orders in advance for some of the 50 to 60 new titles arriving each Wednesday.

Hochman also produces from the store “Your World of Comics,” a local television program that can be seen at 11 a.m. Saturdays on Channel 8 in Thousand Oaks and on other cable systems through TCI outlets. The program, in its third season, offers young people access to comic book creators and artists. A recent show featured two Moorpark College students who brought in their penciled work and then had artist Bill Morrison--who draws for “The Simpsons” television show--critique them. “It’s to encourage the kids not to be afraid to take artistic chances,” Hochman said.

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The comic “Kingdom Come” will be the focus for two upcoming half-hour shows on morality--what makes a hero and what makes a good person.

“Today’s heroes are violent and crazy,” Hochman said. “The old heroes were very nice--they didn’t kill, and human life was very important to them.”

By the end of May, he plans to expand in a different direction, alternating the weekly “Your World of Comics” with “Your World of Literature” and “Your World of Theater.” For example, he might have romance authors talk about their books or actors from Conejo Players and the Moorpark Melodrama discuss their productions, and possibly even shoot a scene for the audience.

He recently stocked about 150 film scripts from Los Angeles distributors. The idea occurred to him when young artists needed scripts to follow in telling their stories. He found that others were curious to see what a script looked like.

With all the bookstores in the area, competition doesn’t concern him. He thinks there is room for everyone, especially if a store has a niche to fill. However, he gets frustrated with customers who ask to see a particular book and then confess they have already ordered it on the Internet--they just wanted to see it.

Hochman says he isn’t interested in the world of the Internet, but rather, in the world of his community. He graduated from Hollywood High School, has a master’s degree in English from Cal State Northridge and worked as a story analyst for a time. Now he is content to work and live in Thousand Oaks and read stories to his 6-month-old daughter.

“I’ve got enough stuff,” he said. “I don’t need any more toys. It’s time to give all this stuff back and do something to try to help.”

You can find him stacking his books, the sensible way, at 368 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, (805) 497-9727.

HAPPENINGS

* Monday at 11 a.m. Stories and art with Liz at Borders Books and Music, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks (497-8159).

* Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Skip Press will be the featured speaker at the monthly meeting of the Ventura County Writers Club. Press--a screenwriter, journalist and author--will speak at Borders Books and Music, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks (497-8159).

* Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. Children can learn about colors, numbers and letters with books about Elmo at the Ventura Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St. (339-9170).

* Wednesday at 7 p.m. “Be Prepared for the SAT,” a two-hour seminar by Princeton Review, at Borders Books and Music, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks (497-8159).

* Friday at 7 p.m. Stories about Franklin the turtle at the Ventura Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St. (339-9170).

* Friday at 8 p.m. Jennifer Carter, the first woman to dive to the Titanic in a submersible, will discuss and sign her book, “Titanic Adventure,” at the Ventura Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St. (339-9170).

* Saturday at 2 p.m. Matthew McGrory, the record holder for the world’s largest feet (size 29) will sign copies of the Guinness Book of World Records at the Ventura Barnes & Noble, 4360 E. Main St. (339-9170).

* Saturday at 7 p.m. Pajamamania welcomes “The Wind in the Willows,” a musical telling by composer / lyricist William Elliott of Kenneth Grahame’s classic story, at Borders Books and Music, 125 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks (497-8159).

Catch you next week.

Information about book signings, writers groups or publishing events can be faxed to Ann Shields at 647-5649 or e-mailed to anns40@aol.com.